Auguries of Innocence
by Maeve
Summary: Two girls go to the Imperial University. An accident gains them fame, will it eventually cost them their lives? Eventually R...R/R!!!!


A/N: It's really been a while since I've written something that I want to stick to. This story(unfortunately for me) is going to be VERY long and (unfortunately for you) very weird. This story is the product of my twisted mind mixed with Theola's influence. Horrible, I know. Anyhow, read this and please tell me what you think!  
  
A Side Note: Ladies go to the University @ age 17, after they have been through the convent.  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns the realm of Tortall, all rivers, oceans, major land masses, etc. I own the plot, a few characters, and a few fiefs. Theola owns the poem below.  
  
Thanks Theo!!!  
  
  
  
Every night to every morn  
  
Some to misery are born.  
  
Every morn to every night,  
  
Some are born to Sweet Delight,  
  
Some are born to Sweet Delight,  
  
Some are born to Endless Night.  
  
~ William Blake, Auguries of Innocence  
  
  
  
Auguries of Innocence  
  
  
  
Chapter One: The Indestructible Manuscript of the Legalization of Slavery  
  
Lady Kylia Aurora Damara Shahla Ella Lilith Lumen, daughter of Lady Soma and Lord Aindreas, stood at her bedroom window in her home fief of Water Meadow, located in southern Carthak. Kylia nervously fingered the silver locket her mother had given her and wondered about the day to come. At the age of sixteen she was being sent to the Imperial Carthaki University to devote herself to the intense study of magic. She sighed, sixteen was a young age for girls to be sent to the university, and as Kylia had already  
  
been to a convent to become a lady, she didn't really see a point in being sent away to another school. She already knew enough about her Gift for her tastes, but her Gift was almost all she had, so she thought she might as well perfect it  
  
Kylia had been sent to the convent at age 7, and had stayed there until she was 15. She hadn't made any friends because she didn't trust humans. To most people she was cold, aloof, arrogant, and snobby. She didn't try to be that way, it just came from her severe mistrust of people. She pushed open the double doors onto her balcony, and felt the cool night air caress her porcelain skin. Her auburn hair fell down her back to her waist in a braid, which swung back and forth as she walked gracefully to the stone rail of  
  
her high balcony. She looked out into the darkness, trying to pierce through the gloom with her searing blue eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. She had a feeling someone was out in the garden, which was located far below here, but she hadn't a clue as to who would be sneaking around in the dead of the night.  
  
Suddenly a boy, roughly her age, swung himself up onto the balcony. "Darius," Kylia breathed, "I thought you were someone else." Upon her return home, Kylia had struck up a kind of friendship with a local boy named Darius. Darius chuckled, "Who else could scale a wall this high to wish his best friend good luck, and tell her good-bye?" Kylia smirked, an expression Darius had become quite familiar with in the short time he was acquainted with her, and she said, "Well actually I could think of quite a few-." Darius cut her off, "Yes but the people you can think of are all in books, which isn't nearly as good as the  
  
real thing." Kylia sighed, "I suppose not." Darius moved closer, hugged her quickly, gave her a peck on the cheek and whispered, "Good luck. Here's a present for you. Do not open it until you get to the university. Write lots." With that he was gone. Kylia sighed and disappeared back into her room to get some sleep before the next day.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ember Jette Sorcha Sophia Ayita Disa Kalama Risa Valora Lorelle of Roaring Falls smiled as she walked through the gardens of her fief. Mist surrounded everything like a filmy curtain waiting to be pushed aside. Ember reached her favorite place in the garden, a pond surrounded by five weeping willows. She gazed into the pond at her flawless reflection. She was gorgeous. Her porcelain skin made her color-changing eyes more obvious, and her raven's wing hair only added accent to her creamy skin. She was perfect. So why, why, why was she considered completely useless? Females still had almost no status in Carthak, unless they were mages, which was why Ember was going to the Imperial University the following day. She had pestered her mother and father until they had given in and arranged for her to go. Her mother had looked at her with her large brown eyes wide and said, "Are you so eager to leave us my Ember?" In truth, Ember had only been home for about 2 months. First she had gone to a convent in Eastern Carthak, and then she had been traveling around her home which was located on the Zekoi River.  
  
Ever since her return home, Ember had been extremely busy. At the convent she had made many friends, and at home she occupied herself by throwing lavish parties for many people in Carthak. Emperor Kaddar had even come to one or two of her parties, although he was always with that stupid Copper Isles princess what's-her-name. Ember rolled her eyes as she thought about the princess. So what if her skin was whiter than Ember's? The princess never went outside without layers of clothing over her skin. So what if her  
  
lips were pure red? So were Ember's. So what if she was gorgeous? So was Ember. Ember mentally scolded herself, thoughts like that weren't going to gain her the Emperor's recognition. Only one thing would: magic.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next day, Kylia watched from the back window of her carriage as her home disappeared from view. She felt a tingle of fear chase its way up her spine. She had never been this far away from home before. True, she had gone to a convent, but that was only three days away. It would take her a good two weeks to get to Thak's Gate, the capital of Carthak, where the Imperial University was located. She sighed and glanced at Darius' present which resided by her side for the moment. How she wished she weren't leaving! She wanted nothing more than to be back at home. Suddenly anger bubbled up inside of her, it was all father's fault. He didn't want a no- good female around since the death of his son. She turned around to face the front of the carriage. She would be fine, she just knew it.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ember smiled as she waved good-bye to all of her friends. Her parents came up to say good-bye as well, and she waved to them to. Then she ordered the carriage driver, "Come along Alfred. We need to get a move on! Can you not hear me? I said hurry up!"  
  
Alfred clucked to the horses and they began to walk at a brisk pace down the road. As Ember watched her parents and friends wave her off she suddenly thought good riddance, and then wondered where on earth that thought could have come from.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After a stressful two and a half weeks on the road, Kylia had finally reached the Imperial University. There were about 15 other young ladies arriving at about the same time she was. A servant (not a slave b/c the university doesn't have slaves) showed her to her room. As Kylia looked around, she was amazed. The room was huge, with a balcony facing a garden, only this balcony was about 10 feet from the ground-much lower than the one at home. There were two beds, two desks, two enormous wardrobes, and a  
  
dressing room that contained two large wooden bathing tubs. Kylia's servant, a young girl named Kalliope who was about 14, came in carrying Kylia's bags. The male servant said, "You will share this room with another young noble lady. I believe she has a servant also. Both servants have a loft they shall sleep in."  
  
For the first time Kylia noticed a ladder in the back of the room leading up somewhere through the ceiling. Kylia curtsied to the man, "Thank you very much for your hospitality."  
  
The servant bowed and stated, "Master Kyros requests your presence fifteen minutes before dinner."  
  
Kylia looked confused, "Why?"  
  
The servant said, "So you may get acquainted with the other ladies."  
  
With that he left. Great, thought Kylia, just what I need, more people to drive away. With that she hurried off to the main entrance hall to meet Master Kyros.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A servant, who she quickly dismissed, led Ember to her room. She saw someone else's bags on one of the beds. She walked over to the other bed and plunked one of her bags down on it. I guess this bed is mine, she thought wryly. Then she rushed to the entrance hall to meet Master Kyros.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Master Kyros was a young man with dark black hair and searing gray eyes. Kylia noticed than when he glanced at certain people, he seemed to see straight to their very souls. In all, there were 18 young ladies including her. She noticed a frightening looking young girl enter the room before she realized that Master Kyros was staring at her. She squirmed uncomfortably under his piercing gaze. Finally, he looked away.  
  
"Welcome ladies," Mater Kyros said in his deep, musical voice. All of a sudden, silence fell in the hallway.  
  
Master Kyros smiled, "I trust you will all do well while you are here. You may wander around the university as you like, but only on your free time, which is severely limited. Tomorrow you will all receive your class schedules. They are different according to the types of magic each of you wish to study. You attend 6 one-hour classes each day, and you do the work required for these classes at the end of the day. You are not late to meals, or classes, or anything else you are required to attend. Dinner is at 6 every night. For now, let's eat, shall we?"  
  
The ladies all murmured their agreement.  
  
Master Kyros smiled, "Oh yes, one more thing, you see this door here?" Master Kyros pointed to a black door with a gold marking on it to the left of the grand stairway.  
  
"Yes," all the ladies chorused.  
  
Master Kyros said, "This room is off limits."  
  
Someone, although Kylia didn't know her name, spoke up, "What's in there Master Kyros?"  
  
Master Kyros grinned, "The Indestructible Manuscript of the Legalization of Slavery." 


End file.
